OffBeat Magazine
Bassist Noah Young has assembled a diverse cast of some of the best young jazz players on the scene for his latest EP
Absolutions. They include trumpeter Steve Lands, tenor saxophonist Brad Walker and drummers Walt Lundy and Alfred Jordan. The four-song set features two covers, one from Radiohead, and two originals, which add to Young’s growing catalog of great funky jazz songs.
The opener and title cut is from the pen of the late bassist Jymie Merritt a player and composer who should be more familiar to a broader audience of jazz fans. Merritt passed away last year at 93 after a long career including a groundbreaking stint with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers from 1957 to 1962. Clearly, Young was influenced by Merritt’s pioneering electric bass work.